“Oh wow, do your parents live somewhere nearby?”
“Sort of, but it isn’t the closest one to their house.”
“What made you choose to go there then?” Vivian asks, interest lacing her tone.
“In Finland, there are some high schools with sports programs that receive special benefits from the government as sports aren’t a part of schools like in the US. Three of those are in Helsinki, and I picked this one because several of my teammates were going to attend too; my sisters went to the nearest one, though.”
She nods in understanding. “That’s cool. I attended a private school from elementary to high school, so there’s that.”
“Yeah, same when we still lived in Minnesota.”
“Is that where your dad played hockey?”
“He first played for Tampa, where I was born, and then he was traded there when I was around four years old,” I share.
“Going from Tampa to Minnesota must have been quite a change. My parents live in Sarasota, so I’ve been to Tampa a few times before.”
“Are they both retired?”
“Yeah, they’re a bit older than your parents. They had me later in life,” Vivian explains with a loving smile.
“I see. But no, it wasn’t a shock. I spent every Christmas in Finland, and as you can see, there’s often snow, and the weather is cold during this time of the year.”
“Are you saying you don’t always get a white Christmas in Finland?”
“There have been times when we didn’t have snow on Christmas Eve here in the south,” I explain.
“Is there a reason why you celebrate a day before us?”
“There might be, but I don’t know. It’s more common in other European countries, too.”
“We have to google that later. Now I want to focus on the views,” Vivian tells me, looking back outside.
“Are you enjoying what you’re seeing so far?”
“Yes, a lot. I like the architecture and lots of trees and parks. It must be so beautiful during the summer months.”
“It definitely is. I often like to say that the Finnish summer is my favorite season.”
“I can only imagine.”
As we get closer to my apartment, I realize I haven’t texted my sister Linnea yet. She’s the one who cleans my apartment and stocks my fridge every time I come home.
Jasper
Hi sis, what’s up?
She replies almost instantly, as expected. That girl can’t go anywhere but to her skating practice without her phone.
Linnea
What do you want? I already cleaned your apartment and went to the shop for you…
Chuckling to myself, I reply to her.
Jasper
Can’t I text you without it needing to be a favor?
